Electric engine cooling jacket heater

ABSTRACT

A block heater having a substantially cylindrical adapter plate with a sealing ring enabling same to be engaged within a frost plug aperture. A swivelable bridging member is secured to the end of a capscrew extending through the adapter plate so that the bridging piece can be tilted when the adapter plate is being inserted and then assumes a position parallel to the adapter plate when the capscrew is tightened thus clamping the heater into the frost plug aperture. The screw is long enough to permit the nut to be &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;backed off&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; so that axial and rotational movement of the screw and bridging member will enable the heater to be positioned properly in the frost plug aperture.

United States Patent [151 3,646,314 Windsor Feb. 29, 1972 [54] ELECTRIC ENGINE COOLING JACKET 3,165,621 1/1965 Windsor ..219/208 HEATER 3,157,773 11/1964 Pickard l 3,209,123 9/1965 Windsor [72] Inventor: Lynne E. Wmdsor, 251 Beaverbrook St., 3,211,838 10/1965 Windsor Winnipsg. Manitoba, Canada 3,229,069 1/1966 K811812211 ..219/208 [221 Filed FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLlCATlONS 124,176 368,733 6/1906 France ..220/24 e a pp ca a 854,325 10/1970 Canada ..219/205 [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 833,650, June 16,

1 abandoned- Primary Examiner-Velodymyr Y. Mayewsky Att0meyKent & Ade [52] US. Cl ..219/208, 123/1425, 219/336,

219/523, 219/536, 220/24, 292/212, 292/256 [57] ABSTRACT [51] Int. Cl ..B60l 1/02 5s 1 Field of Search ..219/205, 208, 316, 336, 523, 53 i .havmg 8 g 219/536; 220/24; 123/1425; 292/212 256 M a sea mg ring ena mg sameto e engage wit m a rost plug aperture. A swivelable bndgmg member is secured to the end of a capscrew extending through the adapter plate so that [56] References cued the bridging piece can be tilted when the adapter plate is being UNITED STATES PATENTS inserted and then assumes a position parallel to the adapter plate when the capscrew is tightened thus clamping the heater 1,423,822 7/1922 into the frost plug aperture. The screw is long enough to perl4726l9 10/1923 mit the nut to be backed off" so that axial and rotational 1,793,261 2/193l movement of the screw and bridging member will enable the 1,876,237 9/1932 heater to be positioned properly in the frost plug aperture. 2,783,352 2/1957 3,148,268 9/1964 Heinbuch ..219/205 1 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures y 24 23 as 25 I If 32 37 PATENTEDFEBZS 1972 3,646,314

I N VliN T OR ELECTRIC ENGINE COOLING JACKET HEATER This invention relates to new and useful improvements in block heaters for liquid cooled engines, normally adapted to be inserted within a frost plug aperture formed in conventional cylinder block walls and constitutes a continuation-inpart of my application Ser. No. 833,650, filed June 16, 1969, and now abandoned.

The present device provides a positive method of mechanically locking and effectively sealing an electrical immersion heater into the conventional frost plug or core plug openings in the engine block.

It is desirable to have a block heater which is easily inserted into the core or frost plug openings and which can be mechanically clamped into position and which at the same time can easily be removed for replacement purposes if desired.

Conventionally such mechanical locking devices tend to corrode into position and this makes it extremely difficult to remove after some considerable use.

I overcome these disadvantages by using noncorroding materials and at the same time provide a simple mechanical lock to hold the heater body into clamping engagement with the walls surrounding and defining the frost plug aperture.

Furthermore, the assembly permits the bridging member to be positioned as desired against the back wall surrounding the aperture.

The principal object and essence of the invention is therefore to provide a block heater of the type described which includes a loosely but confiningly secured bridging piece on the end of the tightening cap screw so tight thus bridging piece can be tiled in order to insert same into the frost plug aperture.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described which includes peripheral sealing means engageable between the adaptor plate and the frost plug aperture wall which prevents leakage of the coolant from occurring.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described which is extremely simple to install and to remove and which otherwise is well suited to the purpose for which it is designed.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described having a screw which is long enough to permit axial and rotational movement of the screw and bridging piece during installation so that the bridging piece can be positioned exactly as desired.

With the foregoing in view, and such other or further purposes, advantages or novel features as may become apparent from consideration of this disclosure and specification, the present invention consists of, and is hereby claimed to reside in the inventive concept which is comprised, embo;ied, embraced, or included in the method, process, construction, composition, arrangement or combination of parts, or new use of any of the foregoing, of which concept, one or more specific embodiments of same are herein exemplified as illustrative only of such concept, reference being had to the accompanying Figures in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation partially in section of my device.

FIG. 2 is a front elevation thereof.

FIG. 3 is an elevational view reduced in scale from FIGS. 1 and 2 of the bridging piece and cap screw per se.

FIG. 4 shows a view reduced in scale with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2, of the block heater in the installing position.

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 but showing the block heater in the installed position.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding pans in the different figures.

Proceeding therefore to describe the invention in detail, the block heater consists of a copper sheathed tubular element containing suitable resistance wire centered and insulated by densely compacted magnesium oxide. However, as the construction of such elements is conventional, the interior thereof has not been illustrated.

Firmly connected to the resistance wire extending from the ends of the element 10, are stainless steel or the like terminal pins 11 and these pins extend into an aperture 12 formed within the main body or adapter plate or plug collectively designated 13.

The ends 14 of the element 10 engage within the inner side 15 of the adapter plate and are brazed into position to seal them into position. A conventional moulded cord plug 16 engages the aperture 12 from the outer side 17 of the adapter plate and cord 18 extends to a source of electrical power (not illustrated) in the usual manner thus supplying electrical energy to the element 10.

Alternatively, the ends 14 may be bonded in to the adapter plate 13 by means of epoxy resin.

It is desirable that the adapter plate 13 be manufactured from cast aluminum, forged brass, or forged zinc alloys, and this adapter plate is substantially cylindrical in configuration and is provided with an annular channel 19 spaced back from the inner surface 15, said annular channel holding a resilient O-ring 20 as clearly shown. An annular shoulder 21 is formed integrally with the main adapter plate and extends beyond the diameter of the main adapter plate, said diameter being indicated at reference character 22. This shoulder engages the outer surface 23 of the cylinder block wall 24 through which the core plug or frost plug aperture 25 is formed as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

The diameter 22 of the adapter plate is slightly smaller than the frost plug aperture 25 so that it can be easily inserted.

Means are provided to mechanically lock the adapter plate into position within the core plug aperture 25 and take the form of a threaded cap screw 26 which extends freely through a drilling 27 formed through the adapter plate 13. In this connection it will be noted that the adapter plate is enlarged by the provision of a centrally located boss portion 28, clearly shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

The cap screw is provided with an enlarged inner end 29 and the cap screw passes freely through a bridging member or channel 30.

This bridging member or channel includes a base portion 31 and upwardly extending side or wing portions 32. The base portion is apertured to enable the cap screw 26 to engage with the head 29 being located within the channel member 30. The channel member is loosely but confiningly engaged over the head by the provision of intumed tabs or detents 33 formed on the upper edges 34 of the side or wing portions 32 and extending inwardly as clearly shown in FIG. 1. This enables the bridging portion to be tiled or swiveled with relation to the cap screw, the purpose of which will hereinafter become apparent. It should also be noted that inner block wall engaging portions 35 are formed on the ends of the base 31 of the channel member and extend in a direction opposite to that of the wings 32. These portions 35 are adapted to engage the inner surface 36 of the cylinder block wall surrounding the frost plug aperture 25 as clearly indicated in FIG. 5 of the accompanying drawings. r

A nut 37 engages the other end 38 of the cap screw and a sealing washer 39 is inserted between the nut and the surface 17 of the adapted plate boss 28 so that coolang cannot leak thereby.

It should be observed that the length of the channel member or bridging portion 30 is larger than the diameter of the frost plug aperture 25 within which the device is adapted to engage so that the portions 35 will in fact bridge the aperture and engage the walls as hereinbelow described.

When the device is to be installed, the nut 37 is backed off as far as possible along the cap screw 26 and the device is held in the position shown in FIG. 4 with the bridging piece tilted thus enabling the bridging piece to be passed through the frost plug aperture 25 as shown in this view. Once the bridging piece is through the aperture, the heater is pushed into position as shown in FIG. 5 with the sealing ring 20 being compressed slightly during this action and being prevented from rolling due to the engagement of the sealing ring 20 within the channel 19.

Manipulation by the fingers of the operator upon the end of the cap screw 26 will enable the bridging piece to take up the position shown in FIG. 5 whereupon the nut 37 is tightened thus clamping the adapter plate into position between the shoulders 21 and the bridging piece 30 which engage the outer and inner surfaces of the cylinder wall respectively.

Another important advantage of the swivel or tilting action of the bridging piece with respect to the cap screw is the fact that the screw remains normal to the adapter plate when engine blocks with unequal wall thicknesses are encountered, thus not interfering with the sealing action of the washer 39 and the O-ring 20 during installation.

It should be stressed that the combination of the relatively long screw and the mounting of the bridging piece permits the operator to maneouver the bridging piece into the desired position against the back wall of the block surrounding the frost plug aperture. This maneouverability permits axial and rotational movement of the screw and bridging piece thus facilitating correct installation.

In order to remove the block heater, the nut 37 is backed right off and the heater maneouvered outwardly so that the bridging piece 30 tilts in the position shown in FIG. 4 and can be withdrawn clear of the frost plug aperture 25.

Various modifications can be made within the scope of the inventive concept which is herein disclosed and/or claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. In association with a cylinder block of an automobile having a frost plug aperture in a cylinder block wall thereof, an immersion block heater for insertion into said frost plug aperture, said block heater comprising in combination a cylindrical plug receivable in said frost plug aperture, said plug having an outer face and an inner face in relation to its position in the frost plug aperture, an electric heating element extending therethrough and connectable, on one side thereof to a source of electrical energy and extending, within the said cylinder block, upon the other side of said body portion, sealing means coacting between the periphery of said body portion and the bore of said frost plug aperture, a peripheral block engaging flange provided on said plug at the outer face thereof for engaging the outer surface of the cylinder block wall, and an improvement which is characterized by the provision of screw extending through a central opening in said plug, nut means on said screw at the outer face of the plug, an enlarged rectangular head provided at the inner end of the screw, and an elongated channel-shaped clamp member rockably positioned on the inner end portion of said screw and extending transversely of the inner face of said plug, said clamp member including a base portion apertured to rockably receive said screw, a pair of transversely spaced side portions on said base portion having said rectangular head of the screw nonrotatably but rockably disposed therebetween, and a pair of detents provided in inturned opposing relation on said side portions adjacent but in spaced relation from said screw head for engaging the inner surface of the cylinder block wall, whereby to retain the screw head in position between said side portions of the clamp member, said crew having a shank which extends beyond said outer face of said plug a distance sufficient to provide axial and rotational movement of said screw and said clamp member relative to the block engaging flange to clamp said block heater into sealing engagement with said frost plug aperture. 

1. In association with a cylinder block of an automobile having a frost plug aperture in a cylinder block wall thereof, an immersion block heater for insertion into said frost plug aperture, said block heater comprising in combination a cylindrical plug receivable in said frost plug aperture, said plug having an outer face and an inner face in relation to its position in the frost plug aperture, an electric heating element extending therethrough and connectable, on one side thereof to a source of electrical energy and extending, within the said cylinder block, upon the other side of said body portion, sealing means coacting between the periphery of said body portion and the bore of said frost plug aperture, a peripheral block engaging flange provided on said plug at the outer face thereof for engaging the outer surface of the cylinder block wall, and an improvement whIch is characterized by the provision of screw extending through a central opening in said plug, nut means on said screw at the outer face of the plug, an enlarged rectangular head provided at the inner end of the screw, and an elongated channel-shaped clamp member rockably positioned on the inner end portion of said screw and extending transversely of the inner face of said plug, said clamp member including a base portion apertured to rockably receive said screw, a pair of transversely spaced side portions on said base portion having said rectangular head of the screw nonrotatably but rockably disposed therebetween, and a pair of detents provided in inturned opposing relation on said side portions adjacent but in spaced relation from said screw head for engaging the inner surface of the cylinder block wall, whereby to retain the screw head in position between said side portions of the clamp member, said crew having a shank which extends beyond said outer face of said plug a distance sufficient to provide axial and rotational movement of said screw and said clamp member relative to the block engaging flange to clamp said block heater into sealing engagement with said frost plug aperture. 